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Grasshopper Manufacture

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This article is about the Japanese videogame company. For other manufacturers, see Grasshopper (disambiguation).

Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.
Native name
株式会社グラスホッパー・マニファクチュア
Kabushiki Gaisha Gurasuhoppā Manifakuchua
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded
FounderGoichi Suda
Headquarters
Chiyoda, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
Goichi Suda (CEO)
Products
Number of employees
53[1] (2023)
ParentGungHo Online Entertainment
(2013–2021)
NetEase Games
(2021–present)
Websitegrasshopper.co.jp
Supertrick Games
Native name
スーパートリック・ゲームズ株式会社
Sūpātorikku Gēmuzu Kabushiki Gaisha
FormerlyGrasshopper Manufacture Inc.
IndustryVideo games
Founded
FounderKazuki Morishita
Headquarters
Chiyoda, Tokyo
,
Japan
ProductsLet It Die
ParentGungHo Online Entertainment
(2013–present)
Websitesupertrickgames.com

Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. (株式会社グラスホッパー・マニファクチュア, Kabushiki Gaisha Gurasuhoppā Manifakuchua) is a Japanese video game developer founded on March 30, 1998 by Goichi Suda. They are well known for creating titles such as Killer7 and the No More Heroes series.

History

[edit]

The company was founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, Japan. Its founder, Goichi Suda, gave two reasons why he chose the name "Grasshopper:" The first being a reference to the song of the same name by UK band Ride, which he was listening to on repeat when forming the company.[2] The second reason is that originally he wanted to use a Japanese word "battamon" as the company name. "Batta" means "grasshopper" and "mon" is "a thing" and when you put the words together, it means "copy or fake." However, he later changed his mind and stuck to Grasshopper instead. The word "Manufacture" was added in because his game company was about "building things."[3]

Headed by Suda, GhM were responsible for several original titles, ones that are also fraught with financial risk, but ultimately gained international mainstream attention in 2005 for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 game Killer7.[citation needed] Following releases included Michigan: Report from Hell (released in Japan, Europe), the Nintendo DS game Contact, the Wii game No More Heroes and its sequel No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and Shadows of the Damned. Potential losses were often made up by the development of games based on popular anime franchises, such as Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, Blood+: One Night Kiss, and Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact.[4][5][6] In May 2007, Suda announced during a speech at the 2007 Game Developers Conference that Grasshopper was at the time working on three titles for the Wii, two of which were released: No More Heroes and Fatal Frame IV.[7] There is no available information on the status of the third Wii game in development then.

Grasshopper was said to be working on an Xbox 360 title, and presented a concept for a PlayStation 3 game called Kurayami, a non-linear action-adventure inspired by the worrying and confused universe of the Czech writer Franz Kafka, whom Suda admires.[8] This was later cancelled and reincorporated ideas were put into the game Shadows of the Damned.[8] In 2010, Yasuhiro Wada joined Grasshopper Manufacture as COO. He then left Grasshopper, and founded the company Toybox in 2011.[9] During development of Shadows of the Damned, the employee count of Grasshopper would double to 140.[10]

On 30 January 2013, Grasshopper Manufacture was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment.[11] Their first title released under GungHo was Let It Die. In 2018, the company would post a notice of an absorption-type split over issues in management, confirming that new Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. would now operate independently of GungHo and work on their own intellectual property such as No More Heroes under Goichi Suda's management. The old Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. (currently Supertrick Games[12][13]) would retain a majority of Grasshopper staff at the time, which would be assigned to work on GungHo-owned IP such as Let It Die.[14] Grasshopper Manufacture would subsequently downsize to a more indie scaled studio, hosting 20 employees as of 2019.[15]

The company's first title developed after the split was Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, a spinoff entry in the No More Heroes series, marketed as a return for the franchise, a tribute to indie games and a commemorative title for Grasshopper Manufacture's history. The game was followed up with No More Heroes III, the first proper mainline installment for the franchise since 2010. The game retains the core development team from the previous title and was developed in collaboration with outsourced staff, being self-published by Grasshopper Manufacture, with physical distribution assistance from Nintendo. As a pair, the games mark Goichi Suda's return to a directorial role, having not directed a game since the original No More Heroes in 2007.[16]

Grasshopper was acquired from GungHo by NetEase Games by October 2021. In announcing the acquisition, Grasshopper stated that they had plans for at least three major games in the next ten years.[17][18] In May 2022, it was revealed that Grasshopper opened a new studio named Yabukiri Studio, while they teased the announcement of a new game.[19]

Games developed

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Year Title Publisher Platform(s) Notes
1999 The Silver Case ASCII Entertainment PlayStation —
2001 Flower, Sun, and Rain Victor Interactive Software PlayStation 2 —
2002 Shining Soul Sega Game Boy Advance Co-developed with Nextech
2003 Shining Soul II
2004 Michigan: Report from Hell Spike PlayStation 2 —
2005 killer7 Capcom GameCube, PlayStation 2 Co-developed with Capcom Production Studio 4
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Genki Mobile —
2006 Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked Namco Bandai Games PlayStation 2 —
Contact Marvelous Entertainment Nintendo DS
Blood+: One Night Kiss Namco Bandai Games PlayStation 2
2007 No More Heroes Marvelous Entertainment Wii —
2008 Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Nintendo Wii Co-developed with Tecmo and Nintendo SPD
2010 No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Marvelous Entertainment Wii —
2011 Frog Minutes Grasshopper Manufacture iOS —
Shadows of the Damned Electronic Arts PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact Namco Bandai Games PlayStation Portable
2012 Sine Mora Digital Reality Android, iOS, Ouya, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Windows, Xbox 360 Co-developed with Digital Reality
Diabolical Pitch Microsoft Studios Xbox 360 —
Liberation Maiden Level-5 Nintendo 3DS, iOS
Lollipop Chainsaw Kadokawa Games PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
No More Heroes: World Ranker Marvelous AQL Android, iOS
Black Knight Sword Digital Reality PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Co-developed with Digital Reality
2013 Killer Is Dead Kadokawa Games PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 —
2014 Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day Bandai Namco Games PlayStation 3 Co-developed with Crispy's!
2016 Let It Die GungHo Online Entertainment PlayStation 4, Windows Co-developed with Supertrick Games
2019 Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Grasshopper Manufacture Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PlayStation and Windows versions published by Marvelous
2021 No More Heroes III Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows —

Ports and remakes

[edit]

Despite the commercial and critical success of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, it was not well received among fans or by Suda51 himself and he would only recommend the original Wii version, even years later.[20] Ever since, Suda51 has wanted to be involved in ports of Grasshopper's works,[21] but due to ownership rights, this has not always been possible.

Year Title Publisher Developer Platform(s) Supervised by Grasshopper Manufacture Notes
2008 Flower, Sun, and Rain: Murder and Mystery in Paradise Marvelous Entertainment h.a.n.d. Nintendo DS Yes Expanded port with additional puzzles.
2010 No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise Feelplus
AQ Interactive
 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 No Features new HD assets and includes bosses from No More Heroes 2. Red Zone Edition developed by AQ Interactive
2014 Killer is Dead: Nightmare Edition Kadokawa Games Digital Works Entertainment Windows No —
2016 The Silver Case Grasshopper Manufacture Active Gaming Media Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows Yes HD remaster.
2017 Sine Mora EX THQ Nordic Gyroscope Games PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch No Expanded port with new content.
2018 The 25th Ward: The Silver Case NIS America Active Gaming Media Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows Yes Full remake in HD.
killer7 Engine Software Windows Yes —
2020 No More Heroes Marvelous Engine Software[22] Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch, Windows Yes —
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Yes —
2022 No More Heroes III Bee Tribe
Muteki
 PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows Yes Bee Tribe responsible for PS4, Xbox One and PC versions. Muteki responsible for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version.
2023 Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Koei Tecmo Koei Tecmo Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Wii, Windows No Remastered with improved assets and character models.
2024 Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP Dragami Games Dragami Games Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows No Remaster without the involvement of Suda51 or James Gunn. Licensed soundtrack will not return.[23][24]
Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered NetEase Games Engine Software Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows Yes —

Canceled titles

[edit]
Title Platform(s) Notes
The Silver Case
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
 Nintendo DS Originally chosen for the DS due to its popularity, this port was set to be the first western release. Ultimately, the quality did not meet Suda's standard and it was canceled in 2012.
Kurayami
 PlayStation 3 Concept that would eventually evolve into Shadows of the Damned. The original incarnation had less emphasis on action.
Lily Bergamo
 PlayStation 4 Concept that would eventually evolve into Let It Die. Originally featured an anime artstyle and sported a female protagonist that used bandages in combat.
Project GMD
 Unknown Briefly shown during the 2023 Grasshopper Direct.[25] The blurred footage depicts a cowgirl with some sort of shooting mechanic.
Project MGD
 Briefly shown during the 2023 Grasshopper Direct. The blurred footage depicts an explosion.
Project SSK
 Briefly shown during the 2023 Grasshopper Direct. The blurred footage depicts a swordsman cutting through various suited enemies with copious amounts of blood being released, reminiscent of No More Heroes.

References

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  1. ^ "Grasshopper Manufacture: 25 years and still hopping". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  2. ^ GameSpot. "Suda51 Breaks Down His Iconic Career". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. ^ Archipel. "SUDA51, Game Creator (No More Heroes, Killer7) - toco toco". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. ^ Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked - IGN, archived from the original on 27 November 2019, retrieved 27 November 2019
  5. ^ McCarthy, Dave (22 September 2006). "Blood+ One Night Kiss". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Grasshopper Manufacture Developing Evangelion: Sound Impact, A Rhythm Game". Siliconera. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. ^ Kohler, Chris (31 January 2008). "Nintendo, Tecmo, Grasshopper Team Up For Fatal Frame Wii". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b Haske, Steve (22 July 2016). "Discussing 'Let It Die' with the Architects of Grasshopper Manufacture's Overdue Comeback". Vice. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Yasuhiro Wada On How Happy Birthdays Is More Game-Like, And Why He Left Grasshopper - Siliconera". Siliconera. 14 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ Guarini, Massimo. "Shadows Of The Damned And The Global Revamp Of Grasshopper Manufacture" (Interview). Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  11. ^ Spencer. "Grasshopper Manufacture Acquired By GungHo Online Entertainment". SiliconEra. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  12. ^ スーパートリック・ゲームズ株式会社の情報 Archived 2 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese), National Tax Agency
  13. ^ 第22期定時株主総会招集ご通知 Archived 2 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese). Gungho Online Entertainment. March 5, 2019
  14. ^ "グラスホッパー・マニファクチュア、ガンホーグループ外からの受託業務を新設会社GhMに移管 GhMは須田社長のプロジェクトや社外案件を手がけることに". 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Company Fact Sheet". Grasshopper Manufacture. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  16. ^ Suriel Vasquez (12 June 2019). "Suda51 Tells Us What To Expect From No More Heroes III". Gameinformer. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  17. ^ Stanton, Rich (22 October 2021). "Grasshopper Manufacture acquired by NetEase, promises three games over next decade". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture acquired by NetEase". Polygon. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Suda51 Teases New Grasshopper Manufacture Game Reveal, Possibly Before The End Of 2022". Nintendo Life. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Feature: Suda51 On Travis Strikes Again, Celebrating Indies And Collecting Zelda's Korok Seeds". 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Suda51 And Capcom Producer "Promise" Killer7 Extended Console Cut". 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Engine Software talks about bringing No More Heroes 1 & 2 to the Nintendo Switch". 23 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Lollipop Chainsaw Remake Announced for 2023". 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Lollipop Chainsaw remake titled Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, delayed to summer 2024". 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Grasshopper Direct 2023!". YouTube. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
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